Fall Into Reading Festival

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Fall Reading Festival

#Autumn Bash at A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park!

Fall into reading this October with a fun family event in the heart of the Historic Eastside neighborhood. Stop by after school and enjoy the outdoors, prizes, games and more. The festival will also feature library storytimes, face painting, and fall-themed arts and crafts! Gather round as we read aloud from two of our favorite JaxKids Book Club books, Jackson the Cummer Cat and Oscar & Olive. We'll also be joined by several community partners, who will set up booths at the event. They'll have games, giveaways and lots of great information.

The festival is, in part, a celebration of the opening of our newly added StoryWalk®. Presented in collaboration with Jax ParksHistoric Eastside Community Development CorporationLift Jax and Read Jax, StoryWalk® is a series of mounted posts, found on walking trails and in public parks, featuring pages from a children’s picture book. Each post directs you to the next page in the story and includes fun prompts that spur conversation and movement. 

Festival Details 

  • Date: Friday, October 18, 2024, from 3 to 6 p.m.
  • Location: 1096 A Philip Randolph Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32206

 

#Schedule of Activities

Event Time
StoryWalk® Tours 3 - 6 p.m.
Festival Fun, Face Painting and Activities 3 - 6 p.m.
JaxKids Book Club Read-Alouds 4 - 4:30 p.m., 5 - 5:30 p.m.
Five Little Pumpkins Storytime and Activity 3:30 - 6 p.m.

Event Partners: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida, Blue Zones Project Jacksonville, City of Jacksonville, Early Learning Coalition of Duval, Florida Blue, Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation, Jax ParksKids Hope Alliance, Library Foundation of Jacksonville, Lift Jax, READ JAX, READ USA, and River City Readers

Note: The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier Vermont. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalks® have been installed in 50 states and 12 countries including, Germany, Canada, England, Bermuda, Russia, Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea!

 

#JaxKids Book Club Read-Alouds 


Book covers for Jackson the Cummer Cat and Oscar & Olive along with the logo and mascot for Jax Kids Book Club

About Jackson the Cummer Cat

Jackson was born in the gardens outside of the Cummer Museum. Althought he has a lot of fun romping through the garden, swatting at butterflies and teasing the lioin statue, what he really wants to do is to go inside and see the art (and maybe even make some of his own)!

Author & Illustrator: Judy Clausen

Judy Clausen lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida, where she and her husband Keith raised their three children Luke, Lacy, and Cole. Judy is a law professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law where she teaches the Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic. Since her children were little, Judy has enjoyed exploring the Cummer Museum’s art and gardens with her family. She dedicates this book to her father Dr. Benjamin Lacy who taught her to love art.

About Oscar & Olive 

Oscar and Olive are so much alike. Oscar jumps and yaps; Olive wiggles and taps. They both have so much energy! So when Olive's dad brings Oscar home from the shelter, the two have fun adventures all day. That is, until nap time!

Author: Nancy Stone

Nancy Stone dreams up stories for humans of all ages. If she isn’t writing; she’s likely herding cats or hugging squirrels. As a lifelong animal lover; she hopes you adopt from your local shelter. Visit her at nancystonewrites.com.

Illustrator: Amy Webster Paquette

Amy Webster Paquette was a nature girl from the beginning, spending many hours outdoors in upstate New York as a child. When she is not kayaking or gardening; she can be found sketching and painting. Amy studied Fine Art at the State University of New York. Currently, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Amy lives on a salt marsh in Northern Florida with her husband, Art, and children.

JaxKids Book Club is a project of the Library Foundation of Jacksonville and Jacksonville Public Library that distributes a free home library every year to all registered Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten students in Jacksonville. Backpacks of books are distributed in the fall, at the beginning of the school year, to get preschoolers excited about reading and visiting the Library. Library staff travels to VPK centers to support this book distribution with storytime programs throughout the school year.

 

#You May Also Like...


#

#Brentwood Library Fall Festival & Trunk-or-Treat

Enjoy music, games, arts & crafts, face painting, storytime, trunk-or-treat, a costume contest, and more! Sponsored by the Friends of Brentwood Public Library, this event is free and open to the public.

Event Details

  • Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
  • Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
  • Location: Brentwood Public Library, 3725 N. Pearl St., Jacksonville, FL 32206

 

Support FOBL


#

#Murray Hill-O-Ween!

Murray Hill-O-Ween is Jacksonville's premier family-friendly Halloween celebration! This exciting event features a lively block party and a spooktacular Halloween parade starting at dusk. The Bill Brinton Murray Hill Branch Library and the Friends of Murray Hill Library will get in on the fun with Halloween stories, crafts, games, candy, library cards, and more!

This event is free and open to the public.

Event Details

  • Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
  • Time: 5 - 9 p.m. (Parade starts at 7:30 p.m.)
  • Location: 918 Edgewood Ave. S, Jacksonville, FL 32205 

More about the Murray Hill-O-Ween

Sponsored by the Murray Hill Preservation Association, the block party has something for everyone – live music, local food trucks, a pumpkin patch, activities for the kids, and so much more! The Halloween parade, which goes down Edgewood Avenue, showcases vibrant floats, energetic bands, and a variety of costumed characters.

Learn more!


Find more Fall and Halloween activities in our events calendar! 

Library Events